


Prologue: The Night is My World

by mastrechef



Series: the night is not as it would seem [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Action/Adventure, Character Study, Developing Friendships, Gen, Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Post-Re:Mind, Sora's not just a dumb kid, Vanitas Redemption (Kingdom Hearts)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:41:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23067910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mastrechef/pseuds/mastrechef
Summary: Is this real or is this a dream? Stuck in a strange city, Sora doesn't know for sure, but he knows that Yozora is at the center of it.  Back home, Sora's friends struggle to hunt for clues of his whereabouts. Meanwhile, the Master of Masters plots in the shadows.Originally posted on tumblr.
Series: the night is not as it would seem [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1657837
Comments: 3
Kudos: 49





	Prologue: The Night is My World

**Author's Note:**

> This idea was sparked by a conversation I had with my sister on some of the more outrageous Kingdom Hearts theories. It's been floating around in my head for months and since I finally committed to writing it, I figured I might as well also finally make an ao3 account and post it here.
> 
> The plot does borrow heavily from Otherland by Tad Williams, so if you've read it you can probably draw some parallels. If you haven't read it, it won't affect your understanding of the story.

The moon shone brightly as he framed it with his fingers. It was nostalgic standing amongst the towering buildings and the myriad of glittering lights reflecting off rain drenched metal. Familiar streets snaked off in every direction in an intricate web, desolate and empty when in his memory they were always packed with life, no matter the time. This was a place he had once considered home. That was a lifetime ago. More than a lifetime it seemed some days.

"A far-off memory that’s like a scattered dream, isn’t that right?" he said to himself.

He shaped his hands into a heart as he held them up against the brilliant moon. The thing that started it all and the end goal everyone was chasing after. Kingdom Hearts. Described as the collective heart of all worlds and all people, it was coveted by those who sought greatness. There were so many stories built up around it, tales of immense power and wisdom granted to any who managed to claim it. Yet did anyone truly understand what that entailed?

He doubted it. The truth of Kingdom Hearts was such an elusive thing, something that defied imagination. As of yet no one had come close to learning that truth, nor to obtaining the true Kingdom Hearts.

From behind him, he could just make out the sound of a dark corridor opening over the gusting wind. Turning to look, a familiar figure stepped out to join him on the rooftop.

“So you finally decided to show your face again.”

“Luxu,” he exclaimed, dramatically clutching at his chest as though in pain. “I’m heartbroken you aren’t happier to see me.”

“As if!” scoffed his most faithful apprentice. “Maybe I would have been if you’d shown up in time for the reunion. Man, Aced is as hot-headed as ever and the others aren’t much better.”

The Master just smiled privately to himself. Luxu could deflect all he wanted, but they both knew his indifference to be false. There was no hiding the relieved glint in his eye and the slight softening of his expression. For all that he acted rather laid back these days, it was different when he felt so relaxed in truth. He had been waiting a long time for this moment.

The Master was absolutely tickled that someone actually missed him.

Time was such a nebulous concept to someone like him, who drifted seamlessly between past, present, and future. He had known his students long before he ever met them and even after all this time it felt as though it was only yesterday that they had parted ways. Yet for them, it had been far longer. He wondered how the others would react to finally seeing him again. Would they rejoice at his return? Would they be angry that he had left?

“How'd the kid get here of all places?” Luxu’s question broke him from his musing.

He tucked his hands behind his back as he explained. “His little tumble down the rabbit hole from misusing the power of waking was interrupted. Someone was waiting for him and stepped in to give him a hand.”

“Someone from the outside?” “Bingo! You're right on the money. Someone sent a proxy here with only the instructions to 'save Sora.'”

“Ha! Good luck with that. The kid’s pretty determined to do himself in.”

“I’m not too concerned,” he said with nonchalance. He turned back to the glittering landscape of metal, although blind to it, his eye fixed on a different sight altogether. “But better to keep an eye out. Can’t have anyone getting impatient and moving before the time is right.”

* * *

Sora had been wandering for some time, but he couldn’t make heads or tails of the twisting streets of this strange city. No matter which way he went, he inevitably ended up back where he started in front of the building emblazoned with “104” in luminous red light. He had woken up here after his rather disheartening defeat at the hands of Yozora. Wherever _here_ was, he was pretty sure that it was the same place that they had fought in. Sora had caught only the barest glimpse during the fight, distracted as he was trying to keep up with a whirlwind.

Since coming to in this lifeless city—vaguely akin to San Fransokyo, albeit a cold facsimile of that bright and bustling world—Sora had encountered Yozora no less than three times. Each time Yozora has no recollection of their previous interactions, and each time they fought. Sora had not yet been able to beat him. It was frustrating; and yet, at the same time it made him think of Riku, and of a childhood spent chasing after his best friend, who was always faster, always stronger.

Letting out a gusty sigh, he found a nearby park bench and sprawled across it, tilting his head back to gaze up into the unfamiliar night sky. “I wonder how they’re doing… Riku, Kairi, and the others…”

He grimaced as a jolt of not-quite-pain pulsed through his chest. Futilely, he rubbed at his chest knowing would do nothing for the discomfort. Even before the final clash with Xehanort, he’d been feeling a phantom ache in his heart that had only worsened as he used the power of waking to save everyone from that horrible first confrontation with the Xehanort-possessed Terra. Sora may not be the smartest, but he was more perceptive than most people gave him credit for, at least when it came to matters of the heart, so he suspected that he knew the cause.

There were few things in his life that Sora had regrets about, but helping someone in need would never be one. Even if it was to his detriment. Ventus had needed a place to heal and Sora had happily offered his assistance. Of course, he didn’t actually remember that, but didn’t make the sentiment any less truthful. However, ever since waking Ventus, he’d had this lingering feeling of being hollowed out, like a piece of his own heart had broken off when Ventus left.

Sora would have been more surprised if he _hadn’t_ felt any different. After all, Ventus had been with him for more than ten years.

By the end of the final battle he could feel the fragility of his heart and realized the truth in the younger Xehanort’s warnings. He really had overstepped his limits. The decision to go after Kairi was an easy one, if a little selfish. If he was already past the point of no return, the least he could do was make sure everyone else was safe first. He hoped that Riku and Kairi would forgive him and that they didn’t blame themselves for his disappearance.

Echoing footsteps startled him into awareness. It seemed Yozora was back, since no one else ever showed up here. Getting to his feet, Sora turned to meet those eerie heterochromatic eyes. “Hello again, Yozora.”

“You know me?” Yozora asked, just as every time before. “Who are you?”

“I’m Sora, remember? We’ve met before.” He didn’t really know why he kept trying. So far, nothing he’d said had worked to spark any recognition. It was almost like he was a living recording, looking as real as any other human being, but stuck to speaking a fixed script.

“Sora? You’re Sora?” That same steely-eyed look of determination returned, that same look he always got as soon as he learned Sora’s name. Sora mentally prepared himself to fight once more, tuning out the rest of the repeated conversation.

Yozora drew his weapons and Sora made one last plea to resolve things peacefully, but the other was not deterred. Resigned, Sora summoned his keyblade.

“Time to end this.”

Having seen it multiple times now, Sora was ready for the lasers and dodged out of the way, regretful that he was out of practice with barrier magic. It would really be helpful right now. He kept bobbing and weaving, waiting for the slightest break in the relentless assault. _There!_ With a yell, he rushed Yozora, putting the full force of his formidable strength into his swing. Yozora was knocked back, but it didn’t faze him for long. His opponent started teleporting, trying to catch him off guard, throwing around more lasers and appearing out of nowhere to engage him directly. Sora did his best to dodge and deflect as many attacks as he could, but Yozora was fast—faster than anyone he’d fought before.

He stumbled as a beam of energy grazed his side in a flash of white hot agony. Already, he felt fatigued and he hadn’t even been fighting for more than a few minutes. Gritting his teeth through the pain, Sora waited for another opening and charged Yozora again, his hits striking true and eliciting a pained grunt from his opponent.

It wasn’t enough. Yozora’s aggression only heightened, as did the intensity of his attacks. Everything became a blur. Between the pain and the exhaustion, Sora simply couldn’t keep up. For the fifth time, Yozora struck him down.

“Not again,” he groaned weakly. How was this guy so strong?

“Sorry, but I don’t lose.”

Sora was sick of this pattern. Nothing ever changed. Was this all just a dream he couldn’t wake up from? _Is any of this for real or not?_ He didn’t know. _None of this... makes sense to me._ His thoughts trailed off as he once again succumbed to the encroaching darkness.

* * *

“I feel like I should know, that there should still be a connection that I could trace. But there’s nothing there.” Roxas growled and ruffled his hair in frustration. “Dammit, there has to be more I can do besides sit here and feel fucking useless.”

Sitting next to him, Ventus hummed in agreement. “I understand how you feel. I was with him for more than a decade. Sometimes I feel like I know him better than I know myself. Yet when I reach out to find his light...I can’t sense anything.”

For a while after that, the two sat in silence, watching the sunset from the top of Twilight Town’s clock tower. Things had been awkward between them at first, what with being near identical at first glance. There were differences, but they were subtle: the shape of the jaw, the placement of the cheekbones, and Roxas’ eyes were a lighter sapphire to Ven’s royal blue. They probably said no more than three words to each other before returning to their own respective worlds. That changed after Kairi returned and Sora did not, and Ven began to seek out Roxas and Xion as the other two who had once resided in Sora’s heart. All three shared a unique pain at the loss of the boy who had gifted them with a second chance at life; the same boy whom none of them had truly had a chance to speak with.

“You two aren’t still brooding, are you?” The silence was broken by the arrival of Xion, three bars of ice cream in hand. She joined them on the ledge of the tower, passing the treats over.

After a quiet thanks for the ice cream, Roxas smirked at Xion. “Nah, that’s strictly my job. Ven’s not the type to brood.”

“Well what type am I then?”

“You’re the sunshine and rainbows kinda guy. Nothing gets you down for long.”

“That’s not even remotely true,” protested Ven.

“No, I see what Roxas is getting at. If you’re upset about something, you seek out other people to talk to rather than hiding away and isolating yourself.” Xion turned to Ven with a sad smile. “That’s why you came to us in the first place, right?”

The playful atmosphere evaporated and turned pensive. Nothing about their situation was particularly normal, their bond even less so. Before all this, Xion and Roxas had at least been friends, with Ven as the outlier. Yet somehow, the trio fit together like long lost siblings. Now all that was needed was to return their missing brother.

“He’s out there somewhere, I know it. We’ll find him.” Her determination blazed as bright as the sun and was equally as invigorating. Both boys could do nothing less than put all their faith in Xion’s words. So long as there was hope, they wouldn’t give up on the boy who saved them all.

* * *

There was something strange in the ease with which Yozora found him. Hiding from him was about as easy as trying to hide from a bloodhound. Despite hiding in the upper branches of a haphazardly chosen tree or losing himself amid the maze of clothing racks in some random department store, sure enough, Yozora was there. It was maddening. The only upside to this situation was that Sora felt no need to sleep, so at least he didn’t have to deal with being startled awake only to see Yozora looming over him. Getting knocked out by the guy on a regular basis was bad enough.

Of course there were also the nightmares that had plagued him since the botched Mark of Mastery exam. For a while he’d even been afraid to go to sleep, terrified that Xehanort would be there waiting to trap him again. He had pushed his concerns to the side in favor of more important things. There had been a lot to do to prepare for the final battle and no time to dwell on personal demons.

Being in this realm only allowed him to further ignore that particular demon.

Time passed strangely in this place. It could be hours or days between his meetings with Yozora, but it was impossible to tell for sure, and not just because it was perpetually nighttime. Anytime Sora lost focus or zoned out, he had this sense that time somehow sped up. Yet, whenever he returned to consciousness after a round with Yozora he felt as though no time at all had passed. Was this how Aqua felt stuck in the Realm of Darkness all those years?

There was nothing to do but think and wait for Yozora. He found himself pondering about the other boy’s words. What did he mean by ‘I was told to save Sora’ and what was he supposed to be saving Sora from? It couldn’t be from whatever this place was, since it was likely that Yozora was the one ensuring he stayed stuck here. From death? Sora’s already saved himself from that fate once, even if the circumstances were different.

That was another thing he didn’t allow himself to dwell on. The fact that he’d died not just once, but twice. Or at least he assumed he was supposed to be dead. He cut that thought short, reminding himself that  _ he’s not thinking about it. _

Sora was startled—and somewhat grateful for the distraction—when a voice he thought he recognized called out, “Aren’t you looking pathetic.”

He lurched in alarm, flailing his arms as he tried to keep himself from tipping over the edge of the roof he was perched on. He regained his balance and twisted around to see an unexpected arrival. “Wha—Vanitas?”

Half illuminated by the ever-present moon, Vanitas was a ghostly specter, washed of all color. Even those burning gold eyes of his appeared more silver in this lighting. “Did all your ‘friends’ ditch you?” Despite the harsh words, the usual arrogance and anger were absent and instead he just seemed...resigned. All the same, Sora would be on his guard; it was too soon to tell what Vanitas planned to do. He kept his muscles tensed in case he needed to move quickly.

Sora shook his head vehemently. “My friends wouldn’t do that,” he insisted. None of them were the type to do that. (He carefully didn’t think about that brief time he had lost the keyblade in Hollow Bastion. And Riku leaving him behind when he gave in to the darkness didn’t count.) He eyed Vanitas in confusion. “What are you doing here?”

The question got him a bitter laugh. “Did you think I had gone for good? You can’t destroy darkness. It will always be there so long as there is darkness in people’s hearts.”

“I get that.” And he truly did. For all that he fought the darkness, he had come to understand that light could not exist without dark. They were counterpoints meant to balance each other. Just like there was no way to be happy all the time, to eliminate all negative emotions, but those happy moments were made all the more precious by the presence of the downs—so too must light and dark exist in equal measure. Besides, he was no stranger to the reality of the saying ‘bright lights cast deep shadows.’ (Distorted flashes of  _ clawstearrendhungerRAGE  _ came to mind.) “But what I meant was how are you  _ here _ ? This place...it’s...” He trailed off, not really sure what to say. This strange city was a complete unknown, seemingly unconnected to any other world that Sora had visited, except perhaps the Final World; but even so it wasn’t clear how he got from there to here.

“I told you before, didn’t I? I’m your shadow, so of course I’d be drawn to where you are.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. If you were able to find me, shouldn’t the others be able to as well?” There was certainly no shortage of people connected to Sora’s heart, although all his attempts to trace the connection back to them resulted in failure. But if Vanitas could reach him, then maybe it was only his end that was having trouble. Who knew how these things worked when you were technically supposed to be dead.

“If they can’t find you, that’s their problem. Hasn’t got shit to do with me,” he replied, face twisting in a sneer. Apparently fed up with their all too brief interaction, Vanitas started walking away.

“Wait! Vanitas!” A dark corridor appeared and in an instant he was gone. Sora slumped back. He wondered if Vanitas was able to leave this place, if he himself was the only one stuck here struggling to escape. He flopped onto his back with a groan. Back to waiting in boredom it was. Funnily enough, he actually wished heartless would show up here; that would at least give him something to do.

Some time later his question was answered in such a way that he almost had a heart attack. Evidently, his worry over waking up to see Yozora looming over him was the least of his concerns, because waking up to see  _ Vanitas  _ looming over him was much more alarming. Eyes blown wide and heart fluttering like a caged bird, Sora scrambled back to put a little distance between them.

Vanitas only continued to frown at him, brows pinched together.

“You’re still here?” Sora asked after getting himself into some semblance of control.

“I should be asking you that.”

“I can’t leave yet.” Something instinctive told him that leaving wouldn’t be possible until he managed to beat Yozora. So soon after his latest loss, it wasn’t something he cared to think about. Might as well make the most of the other boy’s presence. “Can I ask you something?” A noncommittal grunt was his answer. “Why'd you want to join with Ventus so bad? You and he are two separate people now.”

The look Vanitas gave him openly conveyed his low opinion of Sora’s intelligence.  _ Rude _ , thought Sora. “I’m nothing more than Ventus’ negative emotions that were pulled out of him. I was never meant to exist to begin with.”

“Yeah, well, neither were nobodies, but that doesn’t make Roxas any less real. He’s not just a part of me—he’s his own person with his own heart. And I don’t believe that you’re nothing but darkness and negativity. Even the deepest darkness has a light that never goes out.” This he believed with conviction. While his previous interactions with Vanitas were short and generally cryptic, he didn’t get the sense that he was irredeemably evil, unlike Ansem and his single-minded pursuit of darkness for the sake of power. However, getting Vanitas to acknowledge that he might be more than just darkness was going to be like trying to tame a heartless.

Vanitas tossed his head, scoffing. “You expect me to listen to your light-side bullshit?” Scorn absolutely dripped from his words. The arrogant demeanor made a resurgence in the way he now glared down his nose at Sora like he was lower than the dirt beneath his feet. It made Sora uncharacteristically irritated. After everything he’d been through, he’d had enough of people looking down on him.

“I’m not just light, you know,” he snapped. “I’ve got my own darkness, same as everybody else. I fought on the light side, yes, but I was just doing what I thought was right. Light and dark...they’re not the same as good and evil—things aren’t so clear cut. Riku’s proof of that. Xehanort was wrong to do what he did, so I stopped him. Simple as that.”

An unreadable look overtook Vanitas’ face. Without a word, he disappeared again.

* * *

The scene was familiar, and yet at the same time not. She looked like no more than a doll, motionless and absent of any sign of life aside from the faint rise and fall of her chest. Looking on, Namine felt the usual stirring of remorse as a distinctly different image superimposed itself over Kairi. She had already spent far too much time standing by the wayside, watching while others slept away, unaware of the world moving on without them. To be in that situation again, even if—or perhaps,  _ especially _ if—her involvement was minimal, left her feeling unsettled.

“How are things looking?” And there was Riku, checking in for updates like clockwork.

“Still nothing I’m afraid. Ienzo and the others were thinking it might be time to wake her up.” Riku nodded distractedly. Namine contemplated him for a moment. He had been running himself ragged lately, although he tried his best not to show it, his misplaced guilt over Sora’s disappearance driving him to extremes. Idly, she wondered when he’d last had a decent night’s sleep.

Speaking of sleep… “I heard you’ve started looking into your dreams for leads.”

“That’s right.” He huffed in discontent. “I feel like there’s something there, but I don’t really know what it is I’m looking for. It doesn’t help that I can only remember the dream in bits and pieces.”

Namine pursed her lips together, debating to herself. There had been something on her mind for a while now, something she hadn’t really known how to address. If anyone should know about it, it was Riku; yet, she still found herself hesitating. Her powers had caused nothing but pain, and if she could live the rest of her life without using them again she would be happy. More than anything, she wanted them to be gone. But in this case, her lingering connection to Sora might be their best lead. As much as she disliked it, she owed him this much.

“There’s something I need to show you,” she said eventually, flipping through the sketchbook she carried with her everywhere. She skipped past all the old drawings of Sora and of Roxas, past the newer sketches of Radiant Garden, finally coming to a halt on an image that stood out from the rest in its monochrome coloration. “The place in your dream...does it look like this?”

He took the offered sketchbook from her to examine the drawing in detail. “The buildings themselves look different, but something tells me they’re the same place. How did you know?”

“I suspected as much,” she said mostly to herself. “It was so strange, I wasn’t sure what to make of it at first. It seems my ability to influence Sora’s memories still works. I pulled this from some of his newest memories.”

“You mean you can tell what Sora’s been up to? What he’s doing right now?”

She fiddled subconsciously with the hem of her dress. “Sort of. The memories are distorted, and they’ve only been getting worse.” She didn’t care for the implications and Riku certainly wouldn’t either.

“Still, it’s another avenue we can pursue.” He took Namine’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Thank you for sharing this with me.” Riku understood what it was that she was offering; he also understood just what it would cost her. Already she felt anxious.  _ For Sora, _ she reminded herself.

* * *

_ He’s like a stray cat, _ Sora couldn’t help but think when Vanitas inevitably hunted him down again, this time aimlessly wandering the winding city streets.  _ About as prickly as one too. _ He made a mental note never to mention that out loud. He had a feeling Vanitas would take issue with the comparison. Deciding to let the other start the conversation this time, Sora kept his silence. He didn’t have to wait long.

“Who is that guy you’re always fighting?”

“His name’s Yozora, although I don’t think that’s really him.” Sora didn’t bother to elaborate further. He had the barest inkling of what was really going on, though Yozora’s role in it was the one thing he was certain of.

Nevertheless, Vanitas obviously understood anyway. “He’s the reason you’re stuck here.” It wasn’t a question; rather it was a confident assertion.

“Yeah.” Sora took a moment to scrutinize the other boy. There were deep bags under his eyes and weariness hung over him like a cloak. While physically they looked to be about the same age, Vanitas looked to be much more weighed down, like every instant just existing was felt as a physical burden. An ache of a different kind bloomed in his chest. “Why don’t you stay with me for a while?” he offered on impulse. “My heart has always been a sanctuary for others. I was able to help Ventus become whole again; I could do the same for you.”

Vanitas shot him a flat stare. “You don’t get it.”

“I’m not dumb. I don’t know all the details, but I know that everything you’ve been through must have been painful.” He had enough vague impressions from Roxas and Xion to understand that much. And he himself knew intimately the pain of not being enough; not strong enough, not fast enough, _not_ _worthy enough_. More gently, he said, “At least if you stay with me you won’t ever be alone. And if you want to sleep and ignore the world for a while, that’s fine too.”

The sound of Vanitas’ footsteps halted, and Sora stopped as well to look back at him.

“Why are you trying so hard to save me?” If he was trying for aggressive, all he achieved was sounding mildly annoyed. Above all else, he just sounded  _ tired.  _ It made Sora incredibly sad to see someone in such a state.

“Because you deserve a chance. All you’ve known is darkness, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have something else.” He put as much sincerity into both his words and his expression as he could. He wanted—no,  _ needed  _ Vanitas to believe him.

In the face of Sora’s earnest desire to help, Vanitas was unable to refuse. Sora could read it in his eyes. He beamed. Vanitas stubbornly avoided looking at him directly, seeming to already be regretting his decision, but all the same, he didn’t call up a dark corridor to get away.

“So how does this work?”

“I have no clue. I don’t really remember how it happened before. Maybe—if it’s anything like the power of waking, it’ll come to me when I need it.”

Without warning, Sora grabbed Vanitas by the wrist to pull him close, simultaneously placing a hand on his chest, digging blunt nails in slightly when he tried to flinch away. He closed his eyes in concentration. He had opened his heart to Ventus once, and later to Kairi, Roxas, and presumably Xion, even if he hadn’t been conscious of it at the time. Now, he just needed to replicate that. His heart would lead the way.

There was a slight shift in energy, and a tingle went down his spine. Sora could sense it now, the flickering pinprick of light coated in darkness that was Vanitas’ heart. He focused on it, drawing it out. Vanitas exhaled in a woosh, but Sora didn’t acknowledge it, focused as he was.  _ Come to me, _ he willed. There was a sudden pulse and Sora nearly lost his balance as Vanitas disappeared in a shower of light. In his mind’s eye, he could see Vanitas descending gently onto his station of awakening.

“Oh,” he whispered breathlessly. The void that had opened up when Ventus woke was shrinking, the cracks in his heart filling in. The old, persistent ache was gone. In its place he felt...surprisingly warm, like a flame had ignited within his chest. It was a little strange, but not unwelcome. Apparently he wasn’t the only one who had forgotten what being whole was like.

_ You cozy in there? _ He was only a little startled to actually receive a reply.

**Just peachy. Now shut the fuck up and let me sleep.** **But don’t think I won’t take over if you start doing stupid shit.**

_ Got it. _

Sora lifted his gaze to the stars overhead, renewed resolve flowing into him. He had a feeling that his next meeting with Yozora would go very differently.

Dodging immediately to the side had become so routine as to be pure muscle memory. He brought his keyblade up to block the swift alternating succession of laser beams and sword strikes. Feeling faster than he had in all their previous battles, Sora took the initiative to charge Yozora, landing a couple solid strikes to his midsection. Yozora backflipped away, and Sora held back, knowing he would be readying his next attack.

Phantom sword slashes flew through the air as Sora danced around them. Narrowly twisting away from another one, he threw a firaga his opponent’s way, distracting him enough to allow Sora to close the distance once more. A surge of exhilaration flooded his body. When he wasn’t getting his butt handed to him, the rush and flow of the fight was actually enjoyable. After what felt like an entire lifetime fighting heartless or nobodies or any resident big bad that was up to no good, battle was in his blood. As much as he’d like nothing better than to return to Destiny Islands with Riku and Kairi, he doubted he could settle into a peaceful life. A restless part of him would always seek out adventure or the adrenaline rush of a good fight.

When Yozora retreated from his assault again, Sora tensed his muscles in preparation. He rolled away before the glowing red pyramid could trap him. As soon as he got to his feet, he spun around in barely enough time to blink, bracing his keyblade against Yozora’s lightning quick onslaught. He evaded a second pyramid, then cast thundaga to interrupt the other’s rhythm.

The battle continued, becoming more of a competition of stamina. The fatigue that had plagued Sora before was non-existent. He felt so energized that he could go on like this for ages. Yozora showed no signs of slowing either.

An idea formed as he recalled the fight at the Keyblade Graveyard. Pouring all his magic into it, he summoned forth the ultimate keyblade transformation. Surrounded by a swarm of blades, he had but to direct them towards Yozora. He was quickly overwhelmed.

Yozora collapsed to his knees, panting in exertion. He lifted a hand as it began dispersing into blue light. “I guess...that my powers aren’t needed yet.”

“What do you mean?” Sora was confused. What powers? Was Yozora not the one who trapped him here?

Yozora’s expression turned strangely melancholy. “Nevermind.” He gave Sora one last tiny, barely there smile before everything burst into light.

Sora uncovered his eyes, blinking away the spots burned into his vision, to see the cloud filled sky and mirror-like watery landscape of the Final World. The last specks of light drifted off into the air like puffs of dandelions blown by the wind.


End file.
